Dance Moms

After allowing Jill to watch over Kalani in Los Angeles, on last night’s episode Kira returned to Dance Moms. Is it bad I’d forgotten she’d left? She and Ashlee pretend that the other doesn’t exist while they speak horribly about each other just a few feet away from the other. Jill is happy to have Kira back as she considers Ashlee to be a giant bully. Oh really? Abby Lee Miller is in rare form, cheering for last week’s group win. This week isn’t a pyramid, and Abby plans to go backwards. The sisters Ziegler are sharing the top spot…Maddie for winning her solo, and MacKenzie for garnering a scholarship to the Pittsburgh chapter of the ALDC. There’s still a studio there? Nia, Kalani, Kendall, and Brynn share the second tier, and Abby shares they are evenly placed. JoJo is on the bottom because someone has to be.

At this week’s competition, Abby will be entering two trios which means one girl be dancing. Abby crowns both Brynn and Maddie as the captains of their trio, making the choice who will be part of their routine. Jill interrupts to determine how Abby chose the leaders, and Ashlee tries to quickly quiet her. Brynn picks Kalani and MacKenzie while Maddie chooses Kendall and JoJo. Nia tries to pretend that it doesn’t bother her, but she’s clearly crushed. Abby promises that if Brynn’s solo wins, she’s secured a spot on the ALDC team. The group routine this week will be based on a commercial she has signed up the girls to team, and the girls cheer at the return of Todrick. The mothers are a tad wary. Abby doesn’t often play well–or collaborate–with others. The moms know that Abby can’t focus on more than one task (if that), so if she’s freaking out about the commercial, the competition routines are sure to suffer.

Big changes are coming to Dance Moms because Maddie Ziegler is poised to become a big star! Reacting to the news that her protege and most favorite person ever is leaving the show, Abby Lee Miller gushes that she’s “so excited” for the next season because this is what she always had in mind while micromanaging Maddie’s career.

The minis were back on last night’s Dance Moms, as was Abby Lee Miller’s unstable behavior. Maddie has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award, and Abby has managed to snag two tickets for herself. Jill whines to Melissa that the entire ALDC should be allowed to attend to support Maddie. Good luck with that, Jill! The veteran moms need to stay behind to insult the mini-moms and grill potential newbie Jeannie with her three dancing daughters Coco, Rihanna, and Kaylee. Jeannie has been personally invited by Abby, so of course the moms are immediately wary of her.

Luckily, Ashlee takes some of the heat off Jeannie by interrogating Melissa about Maddiequitting the team. A frazzled, eye-rolling Melissa is quick to deny the rumors, although she looks very much like the cat who ate the canary! Melissa swears that Maddie will never leave the ALDC, but she can’t even keep a straight face as she says it. Abby enters sporting her normal hot-rollered head, warning the remaining mini-moms about how amazing Jeannie’s daughters are in the dance world.

For Maddie that involves signing onto So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation as a judge. Variety explains that the casting makes sense because season 13 will include kid dancers for the first time on the series.

Am I allowed to be excited when the Dance Moms sound technicians and producers are scurrying around the Los Angeles ALDC studio totally gobsmacked as to why Abby Lee Miller and the drama-loving mothers are nowhere in sight? The dancers are there, but they aren’t allowed to be filmed without their moms present. Ashlee and Brynn arrive and are confused as to why they are the only ones in attendance to meet with Abby. A producer reveals that the veteran moms are no-shows, and without them, the girls cannot be on camera. Abby cackles at the wonderful thought of not having to deal with the crazy. Abby has designated this week’s solos to follow the theme of famous L.A .murders. Brynn tries to be cheery as Gianna Googles “Black Dahlia Murder” to get the young dancer in character. Yikes.

Trying to make a point about Abby’s recent shenanigans, the mothers decide to show up late wearing their pjs in a nod to their dance instructor’s erratic behavior. The mothers take issue with Brynn rehearsing sans the remaining ALDC dancers. Abby totally could have let the other girls dance…it didn’t have to be on camera. Ashlee tries to explain that she’s not the reason the girls weren’t allowed to participate, but Jill knows how to push her buttons. The more Ashlee fake cries, the more Jill screeches. It’s cringe-inducing.

Thank goodness Maddie was back on last night’s Dance Moms. She has to mitigate some of Abby Lee Miller’s crazy, right? Um, that’s to be determined. The ALDC welcomes back Maddie from her movie shoot, but Abby is quick to remind her that she didn’t garner the first place spot due to all of her gaps in training. Melissa interrupts to ask Abby if she saw Maddie’s segment on Ellen. Nope! Melissa reminds Abby she e-mailed it so she can still watch it. A dismissive Abby claims she’s too busy to take the time to view the three minute clip, and Maddie is clearly hurt.

If there’s one thing that Abby Lee Miller can consistently do, it’s bring the crazy to Dance Moms. Despite her legal woes, she managed to be a part of last night’s episode–although she appeared to be on the verge of a mental breakdown the entire time. However, I don’t think Abby’s as unhinged as she appears…I think it’s all ego. Also, Lifetime, I’m on to you adding nine extra minutes to the episodes this season. Not cool.

Abby is sporting pajamas and rollers as the ALDC waits to practice. Jill has her nose so far up Abby’s bum in hopes of drawing her out of the insanity. “Your hair is going to look so great when you finally take out of those hot rollers,” and, “You don’t want to go out on the bottom…you need to show the world you’ve still got it!” Abby retorts that she wasn’t put on this earth for the Feds to make her look bad. She’s done working with the ALDC. Holly questions whether they should pursue an opportunity with Debbie Allen. They want to be supportive, but if she doesn’t want them there, they don’t have other options. As Abby melts down, she shuns Melissa and Jill who hope she’ll change her mind. Gia is equally stressed as she works with the girls on their group number.

Last night marked Abby Lee Miller’s return to Dance Moms, and it was every bit as ridiculous as every other episode has been for the last few seasons. Please, Lifetime, put this show out of its misery…it’s not fun to watch any more. It’s borderline disturbing. Abby is having some sort of passive aggressive psychotic break on camera, calmly telling the veteran mothers that she was on vacation last week and doesn’t give a flip about the elite team. She’s only back in the studio because her lawyers need to get paid. As Holly leads the charge to pepper Abby with questions, Abby dismisses her with glassy eyes and flippant remarks.

Before the pyramid, Abby criticizes the routines that she wasn’t in the attendance to watch. The minis are included in the pyramid, with the entire crew rounding out the bottom rung. Peyton is in the last place spot for her mother’s deplorable behavior. Abby clearly doesn’t like a mom’s bad behavior being worse than her own, right? JoJo, Brynn, and Kendall make up the next level for their various flawed performances, and Nia and Kalani are in third and second. Abby is shocked that Nia didn’t excel more in African dance given that she’s African-American. No, just no. Holly loses it. Just because Nia’s black doesn’t mean she’s got the lock on African dancing. Abby barely back pedals…she didn’t mean to offend anyone, she just thinks that Nia needs to step up to the plate. MacKenzie takes the top spot. The girls will be dancing a lyrical piece with Brynn in the lead role. Abby warns Brynn that if the elite team loses it will be her fault. Jill takes the opportunity to remind everyone that Ashlee never finds Brynn at fault for anything. Shut it, Jill. Seriously, she is sounding like a broken record. Some mini whose name I’m not going to bother to learn is granted a solo.